Indoor cycling market keeps shifting as Wahoo KICKR BIKE unveiled

Targeting the growing community of indoor cyclists worldwide, Wahoo Fitness has today announced the KICKR BIKE, a ‘fully connected and completed integrated’ smart bike that’s built on Wahoo’s indoor cycling training ecosystem.

The KICKR BIKE is the culmination of Wahoo’s years of experience developing the entire KICKR ecosystem of integrated training products.

The company adds that ‘Like all Wahoo products, the KICKR BIKE is designed for simplicity, superior ride feel, comprehensive connectivity, and maximum customisation for passionate cyclists who demand best-in-class equipment. The KICKR BIKE is ideal for anyone, but designed around those who want an uncompromising solution when it comes to year-round training.’

“Over the past five years, we’ve seen an incredible increase in indoor cycling and the sales of KICKR indoor smart trainers,” said Mike Saturnia, CEO of Wahoo Fitness. “During this time, we’ve built the most complete ecosystem of connected indoor cycling products. The KICKR BIKE represents the next generation of indoor smart training for Wahoo and delivers the most complete, unparalleled riding experience in its class.

“It is the ultimate product for discerning, data-driven athletes who are ready for a feature-rich, top-quality, responsive, dedicated indoor bike as the new cornerstone of their fitness.”

KICKR BIKE combines the KICKR trainer’s ride feel with upgraded innovations like integrated grade simulation, both uphill and down. Front and rear braking allow riders to control their speed just as they would out on the road. The KICKR BIKE’s proprietary ‘gear shifters’ are easily set up to replicate seven different custom gear shifting configurations from Shimano, SRAM, and Campagnolo.

Additionally, users can easily customise their front chainrings and rear cog selection to identically match the bike shifting platforms of their outdoor bikes. There are even proprietary algorithms built into the pedalling that provide a ‘genuine shifting feel’. The extensive feature set blurs the line between the indoor reality and an outdoor experience.

‘Out-of-the-box assembly is simple and integrated into the Wahoo App. Step-by-step instructions, images, and video guide users through a set-up that typically takes less than ten minutes.’

Like assembly, Wahoo notes that bike fit is also guided through the Wahoo App for precision, consistency, and ease. Within the Wahoo App, users can take a photo of their outdoor bike, enter their own body measurements, or import measurements from professional fit systems like RETUL and GURU to adjust the KICKR BIKE’s five contact points to ‘generate a perfect fit immediately so training time doesn’t become configuration time’.

The five-point adjustment system means the KICKR BIKE can mirror the exact geometry of a rider’s outdoor bike. A custom crankset with five built-in, selectable lengths mean ‘perfect pedal strokes with no adapters needed’. Virtual cockpit settings not only allow users to match their bike’s gear ratios and shifter configuration, but also feature tilt buttons to manually control grade changes or integrate with third party apps, such as Zwift and The Sufferfest.

“The KICKR Bike represents the highest standard for indoor smart bike performance and has extensive features,” said Wahoo’s Director of Product Management, Jose Mendez. “However, we went to great lengths to ensure the product remained simple and intuitive to set up and operate. We’ve learned that it’s not enough to make a product with a lot of great features. We knew the KICKR BIKE needed to be as effortless as possible to use so athletes can focus on training and not troubleshooting.”

The KICKR BIKE retails for US$3499.99 and will ship in October 2019 in the US. The bike is online at wahoofitness.com and availability will expand to Europe and other markets in early 2020.

Additionally, there are two important software updates for Wahoo’s current generation KICKR and KICKR CORE trainers. Each have been updated to allow for multiple Bluetooth connections, meaning that ‘multiple sensor pairings are now faster and even more reliable, ensuring a trouble-free start to workouts’.

The KICKR and KICKR CORE now have integrated cadence reporting directly from the trainer, removing the need for a separate sensor and the associated pairing process. Both upgrades are available from 4th September.

New for 2019 is the KICKR KOM Bundle which features the KICKR Smart Trainer and KICKR CLIMB grade simulator for the combined RRP of £1349.98. This is a saving of £150 over purchasing the two units separately and is available now.

The KICKR SNAP is now more competitively priced at £429.99 for the upcoming indoor trainer season in the northern hemisphere.

The Wahoo ecosystem is rounded out by the innovative KICKR DESK and unique KICKR HEADWIND Smart Fan to provide an ‘unrivalled indoor training experience’.

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